I kind of expected it because my father and grandfather
had it, but I thought I would be 60 or 55 or something like
that, says Harvey, who was diagnosed after receiving
a prostate cancer screening during a routine physical.

Fortunately, Harvey's diagnosis came at a time when new advances
and more sophisticated imaging techniques have led to as many
as 90 percent of prostate cancer patients being cured.

Harvey chose an intensive type of treatment called brachytherapy,
in which tiny radioactive seeds are implanted within the prostate
where they emit high doses of radiation to kill the cancer.

If you put these seeds within the prostate, you get
this tremendous dose right where the cancer resides and very
little dose around the prostate, which fulfills our goal of
trying to cure cancer and limit doses, McLaughlin says.

The seeds are implanted using small needles, similar to those
used in an IV. Doctors use ultrasound and X-rays during the
implanting to monitor where the seeds are placed. After, MRI
and a CT scan help them see down to the millimeter what dose
they were able to give the prostate and what dose will affect
nearby healthy tissue.

Imaging has been the key in our progress toward improving
quality of life over the past few years. We've been able to
image these different structures and limit dose. As we do
our surveys and objective analysis of what symptoms men experience
and how their function changes over time, there's a very clear
correlation, McLaughlin says.

Researchers at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center have used advanced
imaging techniques to develop an improved method of delivering
radiation therapy. By more clearly defining the bottom of
the prostate, the U-M oncologists are able to avoid delivering
radiation to the blood vessels that control erectile function.
They equate this vessel-sparing radiation technique to advances
in surgery that led to nerve-sparing prostatectomy that helped
men preserve their sexual function.

One of the dilemmas patients face after a prostate cancer
diagnosis is choosing from several treatment options. Studies
have not shown any of the options lead to greater survival
rates. What it comes down to for most men is a choice between
side effects.

No treatment available right now, whether it's surgery
or radiation therapy or seed implants, is without side effects.
The long-term side effects, though, with all these treatments
have dramatically changed. We've known for years that if we
give dose to those structures down below the prostate that
it can lead to problems that can go on for years. As we've
begun to avoid those structures or limit dose to those structures,
we are beginning to see a dramatic difference in these side
effects and long-term effects, and that's probably the most
exciting advance, McLaughlin says.

Ray Harvey had some discomfort right after his treatment
but says he now hardly notices he was treated for prostate
cancer.

Now everything's pretty much the way it was before.
I go to the bathroom the same, I have sex the same, walk and
talk. I'm not having any incontinence and just everything's
about the same. Sometimes when I move a certain way, I can
kind of feel the implant or that something has happened there.
That's about the only time I'll get reminded, Harvey
says.

Some 232,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this
year, according to the American Cancer Society, and about
30,000 men will die from the disease.

Early detection saves lives

As an oncologist, I'm often asked Will there
ever be a cure for cancer?' And I actually can say with a
straight face, with regard to prostate cancer, there is a
cure. It's called screening. Screening allows us to find these
cancers earlier than we ever had before, and modern treatment
allows us to cure them 90 percent of the time, McLaughlin
says.

Screening recommendations vary by risk. African-American
men, for example, should begin screening earlier  a
guideline that led Harvey to an early diagnosis.

Current screening methods include a digital rectal exam and
a blood test to look for a protein called prostate specific
antigen, or PSA, that is often elevated when prostate cancer
is present.

Screening recommendations are for yearly exams beginning
at the following ages:

Men with average risk  age 50

African-American men  age 45

Men whose father, brother or son had prostate cancer
 age 45

Men with two or more first-degree relatives with prostate
cancer  age 40